Improved apparatus for trimming ships



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETE.,

WILLIAM LOUIS WINANS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AND THOMAS WINANS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRINIMING SHIPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent NO. 57,8311, dated September 4, 15966.l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM LoUrs WINANS, of London, England, and THOMAS VVINANS, oli' Baltimore, United States oi' America, have invented Improved Means ot' and Apparatus for Trimming Ships or Vessels; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of our said invention.

Our invention relates to a new and improved means of and apparatus for trimming ships or other vessels for ocean navigation.

Our invention is designed and adapted to a spindle-shaped vessel, such as was invented by Ross and Thomas Winans, and for which Letters Patent were granted to them October 26, 1858, No. 21,917. l

It is also adapted to the spindle-shaped vessel with ilat or nearly Hat upper deck provided with bulwarks and railing, such as was invented by us, in combination with the spindle-shaped vessel, and for which we have applied for Letters Patent. From the transverse sections of the vessel, being a circle in all its parts above and below the water-line when no flat upper deck is used, and being a circle below and for a considerable distance above the Water-line when the iiat or nearly fiat deck is used, it is clear that any force acting upon the vessel externally, like the wind, or like that caused by the action of a propeller or propellers,and more especiallyv when the propeller or propellers used are of large diameter, with a portion of their blades projecting above the Water, or any other forces acting'externally,will have a tendency to careen the vessel over to one side or cause it to deviate from its normal position, and more especially when the flat or nearly tlat upper deck aforesaid is used.

Our invention has for its object a ready and efiicient means of trimming the vessel, so as -to counteract the varying forces of the propeller and the varying forces of the wind and all other forces which cause the vessel to deviate from its normal position. By means of the present improvements the vessel will be maintained uniformly at or near its normal position at all times, whether in motion or at rest. For this purpose a suitable counteracting-weight is placed at or near the bottom ot' the vessel and is suspended from a tXed center. This pendent weight is actuated by means of the piston of a steam-cylinder placed conveniently for the purpose. The valve placed within the steam-chest and used for the admission of steam. to and from the cylinder which incloses the actuating-piston is an ordinary slide-valve, which is connected with the reversing apparatus of the propelling-engines of the vessel, so that when the propelling-engines are reversed this slide-valve of the actuating-cylinder is also simultaneously reversed and remains in a xedposition, open, ready for the admission of steam on one side and its discharge from the other side of the piston until the propelling-engines are again reversed, when this valve is again simultaneously reversed and placed in its proper position, open and ready for the admission ot' steam to and its discharge from the proper side ot' the piston, respectively7 and so alternately it is opened for the admission of steam to and its discharge from the proper sides of the piston for counteracting the force of the propellers and any other 'force or forces tending to careen the vessel over to one side.

The supply of steam necessary for the cylinder used for actuating the pendent weight is taken either from the steam chest or chests ot' the cylinders or from the main steam-pipe ot' the propelling-engines, by means of a suitable steam-pipe communicating between them. By this means, when the valves used for regulating the admission` ot' steam to the steamchests of the )ropellingengines are either closed or opened, steam is simultaneously shut oft' from or admitted to the steam-chest of the cylinder for actuating the pendent weight, and

'a proportionate increase or diminution of pressure is secured, so that when the propelling-engines are stopped by shutting o' the steam the weight willfall back to its vertical or central position, and when steam is admitted to the propelling-engines this weight'will be moved either one way or the other to a greater or less distance from its central position corresponding to the pressure ot' steam used, so as to counteract the power of the propellers, which would cause the vessel to"ca reen or deviate from its normal position.

As the different forces which tend to careen the vessel vary inintensity at different times, it is necessary that the pressure in the cylinder for actuating the counteracting-weight should also be varied, while the pressure in the steam chest and pipes of the engines remains the same. To accomplish this two valves of the spindle form, one slightly larger than the other, are placed in the pipe that conveys steam to the actuating-cylinder. These valves are inclosed in the chest containing the reversing-valve before described, which is partitioned so as to form two compartments. One of the valves allows the steam to pass into one compartment which has a direct communication with the actuating-cylinder, and the other valve is placed in the partition between the compartments, so as to allow steam to escape from the just-named compartment into the condenser, orinto the hot-well, or into the air, as may be deemed desirable. These valves are so placed that their stems, which run up through stuffing-boxes in the top of the box, are parallel and of the same height; Upon the tops of these valve-stems there is placed a cross-bar, which is kept in position horizontally by two bolts or guides, which pass through holes or slots in the ends of the crossbar, and are screwed into the steam-chest, the cross-bar being' free to move vertically within certain limits, so as to permit these valves to open when the pressure upon them from below is greater than that from above. The top of this cross-bar is made circular, with its concave side upward, thus forming a curved incline plane either way from the center of its length. The requisite pressure to beplaced upon it for controlling the action of the valves is by means of a small steam-cylinder placed vertically at a convenient height above the center of the cross-bar, and is connected with the main steam-pipe, so that the same pressure will always be maintained upon the piston that there is in the main steanrpipe. The diameter of this cylinder is made somewhat greater than that of the largest of the two halves, and the pressure upon its piston is transmitted to the cross-'bar by means of a piston-rod jointed at the upper end and provided with a roller or small wheel at the lower end, the roller or wheel 'restin g on the top of the cross-bar. The

`lower end of this piston-rod i's controlled and held in any required position by a screw operating through a bent lever, the screw being under control and actuated, as circumstances demand, by the attendant. This enables the pressure to be thro-Wn either upon one or the other ofthe valves, or to be divided between them in any desired proportion. Thus, if thrown upon a, Fig. 11, Sheet III, the whole pressure in the steam-pipe would be allowed and maintained in the actuating-cylinder; if thrown upon b, Fig. l1, the steamwould be prevented from entering the actuating-cyliu der; if thrown half-way between a and b, the

pressure in the actuating-cylinder would be only about halt'. Thus the pressure of steam gines, and the pendent weight may be maintained in any required position. By means of the greater steam-cylinder and its appurtenances the pendent weight is moved back and forth crosswise of the vessel to any required position within the limits of the stroke of the piston and the levers or suspension-bars to which it is connected. By suspending the pendent weight at or near the bottom of the vessel, and by controlling its movement-in the manner above indicated, it becomes a far more ready and efficient ballast for counteracting the various forces which cause the vessel to careen than if permanently located at the bottom of the vessel; consequently a less amount of ballast is required and a less immersion of vessel ensues from the use of the pendent weight or movable ballast, as aforesaid. The weight may be actuated by various means, either by gearing connected with the propelling-engines or by hydraulic power, and the machinery for controlling the varying position of the weight, as required, may be made automatic or self-acting; a-lso, the steam, instead of being taken from the main steam chest or chests or the main steam-pipe of propelling-engines, may be taken direct from the steam boiler or boilers of the propelling-engines of the vessel by means of a suitable steam-pipe, with a valve arranged for regulating the admission of steam from the boiler or boilers to the actuating-cylinder. The valve may be operated by hand, or it may be connected with the valve which regulates the admission of steam to the propelling-engines, so that when steam is admitted to or shut off from the propelling-engines it is simultaneously admitted to or shut oi from the actuating-cylinder 5 or steam may be taken from both the main steam-pipe or steam chest or chests of the propellin g-engines of the vessel and from the steam boiler or boilers by means of separate steam-pipes, by which means, when the propelling-engines are at rest, steam may be admitted from the boiler or boilers to the actuating-cylinder, and thependent weight maintained in any required position while the propelling-engines are at rest. Moreover. the weight, instead of being suspended like apendulum, may be supported on an arm, so as to move horizontally across the vessel, or itmay be made' to move on wheels or slides upon suitable ways across the vessel.

In tlie accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet I, is a transverse vertical section taken through a spindle-shaped vessel, and showing the arrangement of parts connected with the trimming apparatus in side elevation. Fig. 2, Sheet II, represents an end elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the balance-weight or cradle. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the cradle, showing the mode of holding the same in any required position. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken within the actuating-cylinder maybe varied i in the line l 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transfrom naught to the full pressure of steam in the main steal'n-pipe of the propelling-enverse vertical section, taken in the line 3 i of the same figure. Fig. 7, Sheet 1, is a plan and sectional View of the rack, hereinafter referred to. the apparatus for holdingthe trimmingweight or cradle in any given position.

a a is the propeller-shaft, which is placed on a line corresponding as near as possible with the longitudinal axis of the spindle-shaped vessel. This propeller-shaft is mounted in plumber-blocks and bearings b b, from which is suspended the weight c c by a pair of vibrating arms, d d.

The weight c is, by preference, composed of a cast-iron cradle, which may be constructed in two parts and bolted together in the middle. In this cradle may be placed any heavy articles, such as lead, pig-iron, heavy blocks of stone, or a part of a cargo, should it be found suitable, to form the ballast. This weight, being suspended from above, may be moved on its center of motion in either direction, according to the position in which it may be desired to place the ballast-weight, in order to trim the vessel. The ballast-weight is moved or shifted into any desired position by means of the pressure of steam on the piston in the cylindere. To the outer end ot' the pistonrod j' of this cylinder is secured a cross-head, g, which slides to and fro on guides IL, secured to any convenient part of the vessel. The cross-head is connected to the vibrating arm l of the pendent weight c by means of the side rods or links, i t'.

Steam is admitted from the steam-chest o1 steam-pipe of the propelling-engines into the cylinder through one of the ports c c2, to either behind or in front of the piston, as may be required. By thus moving the piston in the required direction the arm d, with the ballast-weight c, will be moved toward either of the positions marked in dotted lines in Fig. l.

It will be evident that the engineer may control the operation of the apparatus byv hand by admitting steam to either side of the piston in the cylinder e.

ln Sheets IH and IV we have shown various views of the valve-chest and valves for regulating the admission of steam to the actuatingcylinder c, Fig. 8 being a front view, Fig. 9 a side view, Fig. l0 a plan view, Fig. 11 a longitudinal vertical section taken in the line l 2 of Fig. 9, and Fig. 12 a transverse vertical section .taken in the line 3 4 of Fig. ll.

The apparatus may be iixed at any convenient part of the vessel, the ports c cZ being connected, respectively, to the ports c c2 or the actuating-cylinder e.

The steam-supply pipe fis connected to the steam-chest or steam-supply pipe of the main propelling-engines, so as to obtain steam' at the same pressure as that supplied to those engines.

a and b are two valves. The valve Z1 (which is slightly larger than the valve a) is placed over the steam-pipe f. The valve a opens into a branch pipe, g, connected to the exhaustpipe h, which exhaust-pipe lt may either lead into the condenser, hot-well, or into the open air, as may be thought desirable. The spindles of these valves a and b pass upward through stuffing-boxes c c, and across their upper ends is placed a horizontal cross-bar, d,

which is kept from shifting laterally by means of the guide-bolts t' t'.

j is a small steam-cylinder fitted with a piston, k, of somewhat larger diameter than either of the valves a and b, and supplied with steam from the same source, and consequently at the same pressure, as that supplied to the steam-pipej'. lis a vibrating rod having at its upper end a knuckle-joint working in a block in the piston 7c, and at its lower end a friction-roller, m. This rod is capable of receiving mot-ion to and fro on the horizontal bar d, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8. This motion is given to it by mea-ns of the hand-wheel a, Figs. S and 9, and screw o, operating through the bell-crank lever p and links q, as will be readily understood by referring to the drawings.

It will now be understood that, as the piston 7c of the small cylinderj is of larger diameter than either ot' the valves a and b, by shifting the rod Z so as to bring the roller ony over either one of the valves that onewill be prevented from opening', while the other will be free to open to its full extent, or the pressure may be divided between them.

r is a slide-valve of the ordinary form, to which is attached a rod, s, which is connected in any suitable manner to the reversing gear of the main engines, so that when these latter are reversed the slide-valve r will be shifted from one side to the other, and the steam admitted from the pipe f, through the valve b, into the space c3, and thence through the pipe c to the rear end of the piston in the actuating-cylinder c, or else into the space c4, through the pipe c2, to the forward end of the piston.

It will be understood from the above description that by admitting steam to either side-of the piston in the actnating-cylimler e, the cradle and ballast-weight will be carried over to either side of the vessel, as may be required, and when the cradle and weight have been brought into the requisite position to keep the vessel in proper trim, they may be kept therein by means of a wedge-shaped tooth, t, Fig. l, Sheet II, which, by being driven down by means of the hand-wheel and screw u between the teeth of the sector-rack w, which is tiXed to the bottom of the vessel, willprevent the cradle from shifting until it -is again released by withdrawing the tooth t from the rack. The steam may therefore be cutoif from the actuating-cylinder e unt-il it is required to be used again for moving the cradle.

Having now described the nature of ourinvention, and a manner of performing the same,

we wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement or construction of parts herein set forth, as they may be varied without departing from the nature and object of our invention.

For instance, the ballast-weight maybe actuated by various means, either by gearing connected with the propelling-engines or by hydraulio power; or the machinery for oonby SteanrpoWer or hydraulic power, or by gearing connected with the propelling-engines, as herein set forth.

In witness whereof We, the said WILLIAM LOUIS WINANS and THOMAS WINANS, have hereunto set our hands and seals this 20th day of January, 1866.

WM. L. WINANS. [L a] THOMAS WINANS. [L s] Witnesses OSMAN LATRoBm 45 Olargs Street, London T. H. HAMBLETON,

45 Olm/'ges Street, London. 

